Leviticus 21:17-21

Listen to Leviticus 21:17-21
17 "Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect is to come near to present the food of his God.
18 No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed;
19 no man who has a broken foot or hand,
20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf,[a] or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.[b]
21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to present the fire offerings to the Lord. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God.

Leviticus 21:17-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 21

This chapter respects the priests, the sons of Aaron, and forbids their mourning for the dead, unless in some cases, Le 21:1-6; or their marriage with an whore or a divorced woman, Le 21:7,8; and the daughters of any of them to commit fornication, which is made punishable with death, Le 21:9; and it contains particular laws for the high priest to observe, who was not to mourn for any, even for his parents, Le 21:10,11; nor to go out of the sanctuary, Le 21:12; nor to marry any woman but a virgin, Le 21:13-15; and it also directs, that none of the priests having any blemish in them should be employed in divine service, though they might eat of the holy things, Le 21:16-24.

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Footnotes 2

  • [a] Or or emaciated
  • [b] Lv 22:25; Dt 23:1; Dn 1:4
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